Topic: Avant-garde metal

[Abnormal Freak]

So I recently started rediscovering my love for heavy metal, particularly the more experimental forms of it, music that's filled with so much lushness and creativity and varied instruments and ways of using them beyond just "chuggachuggachuggachuggachug."

Listening to Altera Enigma's Alteration right now. This band is kind of a metal supergroup; I'm unfamiliar with most of the guys, but one of 'em is the lead member of avant-garde/post-black metal band Kekal, whom I also love.

Also been digging Yakuza's Transmutations album. Not sure if I like it more than their older stuff, and it's sad that only about half of the original lineup remains (including the really rad throat singer dude/ripsaw guitarist), but it's still really darn cool—and the lead vocalist/saxophone guy is still there, so that's good.

Then there's my obvious loves, like Solefald and Sigh (In Harmonia Universali and Imaginary Sonicscape are still tied for my favorite metal album—it's impossible for me to choose one over the other). And holy hell is it difficult to find YouTube videos of songs from that Solefald album that actually sound good. I can't find anything that even remotely represents its quality, of this album or any Solefald album. Wait, here's one, kinda.

Let's not forget ...and Oceans, Aborym, and Dødheimsgard, amongst others. Man, this stuff is so cool.

Also, one of the most supreme metal bands ever, with strong industrial metal and avant-garde ties: Strapping Young muthaflippin' Lad. (Love that three-song combo; it's so insane. Though "All Hail the New Flesh" and the entire City album will always be THE defining SYL musicks.)

Yeah. Anyone else into this stuff? Or any metal at all, really; let this be a heavy metal discussion thread!

[Hydrostorm]

GOOD MAN, LAD!

I used to be a hardcore metal head, but finding new metal was always hard and [at least for me.] bad metal = migraine. Checking out this Alter Enigma, business now. I like it.

I'm more of a melodic metal kind-of-guy. Probably due to CV. Though, I am not a huge fan of Nightwish, in fact Nightwish grates my nerves, no offense to any Nightwish fans. I can't recall much of the bands I used to listen to, but I'll link a few songs. I'm not sure if you'll find them enjoyable, so be warned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYYhtqPVlk4 - Soilwork [Most of their music is criticized for sounding like noise, but thats because a lot of it IS! This song is only song I like by them, though.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su0dkHstMYI - Children of Bodom [Their older stuff is great, their newer stuff is bad. Damn their success, it was their undoing. They have a nice collection of 80 Covers.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfS46BjqYFc - Raintime, not sure why I keep using brackets. Raintime is really good, I think. AND they have a metal cover of BEAT IT, OMFG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djdoqouf6AY&feature=PlayList&p=644EEA13105A0DB7&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=16 - Thy Old Serpent, they're kind of dark. I can't find their shit to buy anywhere, though, then again I haven't looked that hard either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQhRS-4NXiE - Blood Stain Child, their newer stuff is a lot more techno-y. Its not bad, but their older stuff is better, in my opinion.

Opeth isn't bad either, but I prefer their songs that are full instrumentation.

Um, actually I'm not sure if any of those bands were what you were looking for, lol.

[Mooning Freddy]

Recently I've been into Trivium. Some of their songs have a real classic Thrash sound, while others have a newer metal style reminiscent of bands like Bullet for my Valentine and Breaking Benjamin.

My favorite song by the band for now is  Becoming the Dragon.
Needless to say, that song is 100% Metallica.  Not only that the vocals are similar to James Hetfield, the awesome riffs also remind Metallica's.
But of course, the song's lyrics (based on a Chinese legend) about a man (or a fish) becoming a dragon, is what makes this song so epic.

[Abnormal Freak]

Um, actually I'm not sure if any of those bands were what you were looking for, lol.

Nah, I'm not really "looking" for anything, just posting about some good metal and hoping for responses, heh.

Hoo boy, Children of Bodom. I rocked out so hard to Hatebreeder way back when I was 17 (OK, that was only seven years ago, but it feels like forever ago). Gave 'em a listen recently and I couldn't help but laugh at their absurdity. I had a little mock fest on my own in my room late at night while blaring selections from the Hate Crew Deathroll album on my headphones. It's really fun, energetic music, but really kind of silly and bad in a lot of ways, in my opinion; I didn't think that then, but I do now. But hey, at least they're not as bad as DragonForce. (lol)

Ah, Trivium. Can't say I'm a fan of them. I bought their debut album, Ember to Inferno when that came out. I thought it showed a lot of promise—kind of amateurish and samey (it was hard for me to distinguish one song from the next sometimes), but I felt Matt Heafy showed a lot of promise as a guitarist—especially since he was 17 at the time—though less so as a songwriter; but I thought he could improve. That and the album was produced by muthaflippin' Jason Suecof (more on that later), though he went downhill and began producing a whole lot of garbage, so eh...his contribution didn't mean a whole lot to me, ha ha.

Anyway, Trivium went on to discard their melodic death metal roots and make...well, whatever the hell they went on to make; I haven't listened to much of any of it because it didn't interest me, but I do remember one or two very Metallica-esque songs, and I thought, "Matt Heafy? Why have you done this? Whyyyyy?"

Matt Heafy kicks ass in Capharnaum, however. (Here's the opening track; ignore the "Matt Heafy's former band" text, since, well, the way that's worded kind of implies he founded the band, which he didn't, not at all—he was like 7 when Capharnaum formed.) They were a Cryptopsy style technical death metal band, founded by the aforementioned Jason Suecof and his brother. Really good tunes, their album Fractured. They did an album or two before that when they were teenagers, but I have yet to hear them. Heafy only does vocals on the album, but they add a nice touch; Suecof does Mike DiSalvo-esque vocals on a couple songs, and that rocks too. Oh, and Daniel Mongrain from the totally badass tech death band Martyr also played on the album.

Yeah. Jason Suecof is also responsible for Crotchduster, lol.

He was also supposed to produce Cynic's sophomore album, but that never happened. Would've been cool to hear.

I'm sounding like a major Suecof fanboy here, but he also played guitar on and co-produced the Charred Walls of the Damned album, which features Richard Christy (he founded the band and wrote all the music and lyrics; he did mad drumming for Death for a while), Steve DiGiorgio (who also did mad fretless bass work for Death, and Autopsy), and Tim "Ripper" Owens, who...I honestly have no prior experience with, ha. But he was in Judas Priest and Iced Earth for a while, I think.

Oh man... I gotta stop posting links and connections. :p

[Hydrostorm]

Ohh, yeah. Bodom is a bit silly now. I too rocked out to them when I was 17, hah! I still like downfall, though. As I've said I've not really ran into any new metal, though its there in abundance. I'm pretty tolerant of all music, but get stuck on 80's stuff a lot. If you haven't heard of Rock Sugar I suggest you take this link, immediately: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr4HffbAUTk .

In fact, I've been in a musical rut for the better half of this year. Recycling songs on my playlist, dutifully listening to them, because at some point they captured my <3's.

Oh, The Cult is pretty good, too. Not really metal, but just saying.

Can we get some more metal pl0x?

[Gunlord]

I was going to reply with a joke about today's metal being "insufficiently krieg," but man, I have to admit after watching that Altera Enigma video, that's some good music.

[X]

I also enjoy listening to heavy metal. However if the current tune does nothing for me (makes me dance inside of my mind) then it's no good. The same goes for all other geners of music too. To me, it's not about the artist, it's all about the music. if it jives with me, I'll take it. If not, it's dust in the wind.

-X

[Abnormal Freak]

I was going to reply with a joke about today's metal being "insufficiently krieg," but man, I have to admit after watching that Altera Enigma video, that's some good music.

There's plenty of great metal bands forming and albums being released. I haven't heard much of 'em, but I know they're there. I've got E-FRIENDS(!) who are really big into a lot of obscure black metal and the like, and are constantly raving about this and that new release.

[JR]

I haven't heard much avant-garde stuff, save for the occasional Arcturus or Sigh song. Some people claim that Mayhem's Grand Declaration of War album is avant-garde black metal, but I have no idea).

I used to like Children of Bodom a lot. Still like their older stuff. I couldn't get into Blooddrunk at all, though. Just didn't like that one.

My favorite band at the moment has to be The Black Dahlia Murder. I love these guys. From their first demo to their most recent album, all their stuff is excellent. Great music, awesome lyrics, and I can't think of another melodic death metal band who would dress up like the cast of Scooby Doo for a show. 

I've been listening to the song Never Give In by Luna Mortis a lot lately. I don't know what their other songs sound like, but I enjoy this one. Their female vocalist could scream fairly well, but also had a pretty robust clean voice. Nice change of pace from the more nasal-sounding female vocalists you often hear in metal bands.

[JR]

Hope I didn't kill this thread or something 

Does anyone check out any samplers that the metal labels put out? I've been finding some new bands this way, since you can always find a free sampler on Amazon. I heard Metal Blade's newest sampler...I think it has a bunch of recently signed bands on it. Anyway, there's this band on there called King of Asgard...some viking metal stuff. The song on there, Vamod's Tale, is pretty good, but another song on their myspace page, Einharjar, is friggin' awesome. This is a day-one purchase for me. I never really dove too far into the whole viking metal thing, since Amon Amarth started to bore me after a while, but I think I love these guys.